Little Munchkins

Little Munchkins Hamil Road, Stoke On Trent, Staffordshire, ST6 1BB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 16 November 2017 Not applicable

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This inspection: Good 2

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good 2

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This inspection: Good 2

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good 2

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This provision is good

 The provider has recruited a highly skilled management team which works hard to ensure staff provide a good standard of care and learning for children.  The key-person system is effective. All children have an assigned key person from when they start or move rooms. This helps them to settle quickly. Key persons tailor children's care to their individual needs, based on the information they gather from parents when children start.  Children's behaviour is good. They know how to share, take turns and tolerate others. Staff use their skills from professional development to manage children's behaviour effectively, such as teaching them the impact of their behaviour on others.  Staff are skilled at supporting children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work effectively with parents and other professionals to agree programmes of support. Staff provide intense support to help children rapidly grasp

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This provision is good

new skills and close gaps in their development.  Staff make effective use of additional funding the nursery receives for children, to help accelerate their learning further, including developing children's confidence to talk.

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It is not yet outstanding because:

 The management team does not use the supervision system in place to its full extent, to precisely identify ways to raise the quality of teaching further still.  Staff do not consistently consider children's learning styles in their ongoing assessments to enable them to precisely plan for children's learning.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 strengthen the supervision of staff to precisely identify their professional development needs and raise the quality of teaching to an outstanding level  enhance ongoing assessments further to consistently consider children's learning styles and use this information to plan even more precisely for their learning.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching during activities indoors and outdoors and assessed the impact this has on children's learning.  The inspector spoke with staff and children during the inspection.  The inspector completed a joint observation the nursery manager.  The inspector held a meeting the nursery manager, deputy and one of the providers. He looked at relevant documentation and evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.  The inspector viewed written feedback from parents and took account of their views.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is good

Managers have developed good self-evaluation and, since coming into post, they have tackled significant weaknesses. They use feedback from others to identify ways to enhance children's outcomes further. For example, they have used parents' suggestions to provide a lending library for them to borrow resources and use at home to promote their children's development. Safeguarding is effective. Managers have sought advice from other professionals to help them implement effective policies, such as those to deal with complaints. They follow robust recruitment procedures and vigilantly vet all staff to help check their suitability. New staff receive a detailed induction to help ensure they have a good understanding of their role and responsibilities. Staff give children's safety and welfare their utmost priority and work effectively with other professionals to promote this. All staff have a good understanding of the child protection procedures.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Staff maintain a regular two-way flow of information with parents. They continually inform them of their children's next steps in learning and host parents' evenings to exchange information with parents about children's progress. Staff plan activities that challenge all children to learn the skills they need for school or the next stage in their learning. They provide innovative ways for children to learn about the world, including how things change. For example, they show children how the pumpkins in their growing patch have gone mouldy. Staff extend this by involving children in an experiment to predict and observe the rate in which different foods decay over time. Those working with the younger children have a strong focus on promoting their communication and language skills. They do this through linking their planned teaching to children's interests. For example, staff build on children's interest in cars by setting up street maps with a range of

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

vehicles. Children are eager to play with the cars and staff encourage them in developing their speaking skills by making noises that sound like cars.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good

The provider has worked with all staff to develop a warm, welcoming and stimulating nursery. There is a range of toys and resources that promotes all areas of children's development and builds on their interests. For example, staff extend children's fascination in construction work by providing building materials and tools outside. Children use these to build a door for the playhouse. The environment is clean and staff promote good hygiene routines, such as handwashing. They are attentive to children's toileting needs, including changing their nappies regularly throughout the day.

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Outcomes for children are good

All children make good progress, including those two-year-olds who the nursery receives funding for. Pre-school children are learning how to develop their writing skills, such as writing down potion ingredients as they give meanings to marks. Toddlers develop good physical skills, such as climbing up and down stairs and grasping paint brushes.

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Setting details

Unique reference number EY499857 Local authority Stoke on Trent Inspection number 1088315 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 4 Total number of places 136 Number of children on roll 47 Name of registered person Geoffrey Gascoigne And Tracey Gascoigne Partnership

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reference number

Date of previous inspection Not applicable Telephone number 07972891208

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reference number

Little Munchkins registered in 2016. The nursery employs nine members of childcare staff. Of these, seven hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3 or above. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, during term time only. Sessions are from 9am until 3pm. The nursery receives funding to provide free early education for two-, three- and four- year-old children.

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reference number

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

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reference number

procedures set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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reference number

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reference number

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reference number

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